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Games and Pastimes, by Helen Gunsaulus
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Title: The Japanese New Year’s Festival, Games and Pastimes
Author: Helen Gunsaulus
Release Date: December 30, 2021 [eBook #67056]
Language: English
Produced by: Ronald Grenier (This file was produced from images
generously made available by The Internet
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JAPANESE NEW YEAR’S
FESTIVAL, GAMES AND PASTIMES ***
The
Japanese New Year’s Festival,
Games and Pastimes
BY
HELEN C. GUNSAULUS
Assistant Curator of Japanese Ethnology
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
CHICAGO
1923
Field Museum of Natural History
Department of Anthropology
Chicago, 1923
Leaflet Number 11
The Japanese New Year’s Festival,
Games and Pastimes
The Japanese prints with which we are most familiar in this country
are those known as _nishikiye_, literally “brocade picture.” Generally
speaking, they are portraits of actors and famous beauties or
landscapes and nature studies. There are, however, other woodcuts known
as _surimono_, “things printed,” whose subjects are characters known in
history and folklore, household gods, incidents in the daily life of
the people and the celebration of certain festivals, particularly that
of the New Year. From a careful study of these prints we may become
acquainted with many of the most distinctive customs of Japan.
Though produced by the same process as that used for the _nishikiye_,
_surimono_ may be easily distinguished from the former. In addition
to the series of wood blocks used to print the outline and colors of
the design, _surimono_ are often enriched by the application of metal
dusts and embossing. The decorative motive is usually interpreted or
accompanied by a poem or series of poems written in the picture. These
prints were not made for sale but were exchanged as gifts among poets
and artists on certain occasions, such as feasts, birthdays, theatrical
or literary meetings, and especially as cards of greeting presented at
the opening of the New Year. The _surimono_ in the collection in
Field Museum of Natural History were selected primarily with the view
of illustrating the customs and mode of living of the people of Japan
rather than of assembling together pictures which would be enjoyed for
their aesthetic appeal. While these prints are of an artistic nature,
they are valuable to an institution of this kind as approaches to the
study of the ethnology of Japan. The Museum is in possession of a
collection of three hundred and sixty prints which has been divided
into four groups, in the first of which the New Year’s festival and
certain games and pastimes are pictured to a considerable degree. This
selection is hung each year in Gunsaulus Hall (Room 30, Second Floor)
from January 1st to April 1st, when it is succeeded by another group.
THE NEW YEAR’S FESTIVAL
Of the many festivals enjoyed in Japan, none is attended with more
ceremony than that which opens with the New Year and is celebrated
with more or less formality for fourteen days. It was customary in the
old days to celebrate the New Year at the time when the plum first
blossomed and when winter began to soften into spring, somewhere
between the middle of January and the middle of February. Since the
adoption of the Gregorian calendar, this festival opens on January
1st, and is attended by many of the interesting ceremonies that were
practised in former times. On the thirteenth day of the preceding
month, a special stew (_okotojiru_) is made from red beans, potatoes,
mushrooms, sliced fish and a root (_konnyaku_). About this time a
cleaning of the house takes place. It is partly ceremonial and partly
practical, and is known as “soot-sweeping” (_susu-haraki_). Servants
are presented with gifts of money and a short holiday.
According to the lunar calendar, the New Year’s celebration was opened
by the ceremony known as _oniyarai_, “demon-driving.” This occurred at
Setsubun, the period when winter passed into spring, and to-day it is
generally practised at that time and is quite independent of the New
Year’s festival. In some sections of the country, however, it has been
moved forward to New Year’s eve, December 31st. As may be seen in the
first illustration, this ceremony consists of the scattering of parched
beans in four directions in the house, crying at the same time, “Out
with the devils, in with the good luck.” Though sometimes performed by
a professional who goes from door to door, this office is generally
carried on by the head of the family. The custom may be traced back to
ancient days when the demons expelled personified the wintry influences
and the diseases attendant on them. It is still customary in some
regions to gather up beans equal in number to the age plus one, and
wrap them with a coin in a paper which has been previously rubbed over
the body, to transfer ill luck. This package is then flung away at a
cross-roads, with the idea that thereby ill luck is gotten rid of.
Again in other places some of the beans are saved and eaten at the time
of the first thunder.
In Fig. 2 other interesting steps in the celebration may be studied.
Certain preparations for the demon-expelling ceremony are being made. A
woman who stands near a stove is parching the beans in a flat pan. At
her feet the box for the beans rests upon a low stand of the form known
as _sambo_, that used as the support for all ceremonial arrangements
on festive occasions. It is made of cypress wood; in this case it is
lacquered red but when holding offerings for the gods, it is left
unstained. It will be noticed that there is a charm stuck in at the
upper corner of the open door in this picture. It is composed of
a branch of holly on which is impaled the head of a sardine. This
charm, which is always placed in the lintel after the demons have been
driven out, is said to be repellent to evil influences and the prickly
holly has the property of keeping demons from reëntering the house.
Immediately over the woman’s head hangs one of the most conspicuous
objects associated with the New Year’s festival. It is the straw rope
(_shimenawa_) which is stretched before the entrance at the front
of the house, to remain during all the days of the celebration, and
keep out all evil spirits. Smaller straw ropes are placed over inner
doorways and before the household shrine or god-shelf (_kami-dana_).
They are also to be seen on the posts of certain bridges, particularly
the Gojōbashi in Kyōto. The _shimenawa_ is always made of straw twisted
to the left, the pure or fortunate side, with pendant straws at regular
intervals but of differing numbers in the order three, five, seven,
along the whole length of the strand. Alternating with these pendants
are leaves of the fern, _urajiro_. Since the fern-fronds spring in
pairs from the stem, this plant is symbolic of happy married life and
increase. The lanciform leaves attached to the straw rope in this
picture, are those of a laurel-like shrub called _yuzuri_. This plant
has been adopted as the symbol of a long united family because the old
leaves cling to the branch after the young ones have appeared. Other
objects with specific meanings are often attached to the rope, the most
common being paper cuttings (_gohei_) which represent the offerings
of cloth made to the gods in ancient times. Occasionally tied to the
rope are little bundles of charcoal (_sumi_) which, because of its
changeless color, symbolizes changelessness.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. ONIYARAI CEREMONY.
BY HOKKEI.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2. PREPARING BEANS FOR ONIYARAI.
BY HOKKEI.]
The origin of the use of _shimenawa_ on New Year’s day may be traced
back to mythological times when the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, was
tempted forth from the cave into which, through fear of her brother,
she had retired. In order to entice her from her hiding place, all
the gods assembled together and, bringing with them a dancer, made
such a commotion that the “heavenly ancestor of the emperor” peeped
out. Her face was reflected in a mirror which they had hung upon a
tree. Never before had she gazed upon her own beauty, and thinking
it the countenance of a rival, she stepped forth. She was prevented
from returning by a fellow deity who stretched a straw rope across the
opening of her retreat. During her retirement all the earth had been
in darkness. As she emerged, the warm light of the sun spread over the
world and joy returned to the people.
A survival of the belief in this legend is to be seen to this day
at a certain spot on the shore of Owari Bay. There, at Futami, two
tower-like rocks, known at the “Husband and Wife Rocks” (Myōto-seki)
jut out of the waves close to the beach. They are joined together by a
straw rope which some say represents the bond of conjugal union. Others
see in it a hindrance against the entrance of the Plague God. However,
these rocks are popularly thought to represent the cave into which the
Sun Goddess retired. On this account many people journey to Myōto-seki
before dawn on New Year’s day, in order to see the first rays of the
sun emerge on the horizon between these two rocks, thereby witnessing
the re-appearance of the Sun Goddess who is restrained by the
_shimenawa_ from re-entering her retreat.
The fern leaves and _yuzuriha_, attached to the straw rope, are also
in evidence on certain ceremonial arrangements which are to be seen
in all households on New Year’s day. Two such objects are illustrated
in Fig. 3. They are called _o kazari mono_, “honorably decorated
thing.” Both of these stands of _sambo_ form are laid with paper covers
on which are placed rice puddings (_mochi_) of various forms. Those on
the stand at the left are large, flat and round, in shape representing
the mirror into which Amaterasu looked when she came forth from the
cave. Again they symbolize the sun, the _yo_ or male principle, and
the moon, the _in_ or female principle. They are adorned with two fern
leaves, a folded paper arrangement (called _noshi_) and a bitter orange
(_daidai_) to which are attached two _yuzuri_ leaves. The Japanese
are devoted to puns on words. _Daidai-yuzuri_, in pronunciation,
is identical with the phrase which means “bequeath from generation
to generation,” hence the adoption of the bitter orange with the
_yuzuri_ leaves in the New Year’s decoration. Dried chestnut kernels
(_kachiguri_) are often added to the arrangement, for the name suggests
the happy thought of victory (_kachi_). The second stand which holds
rice puddings is surmounted by a branch of pine, one of the well-known
emblems of longevity. The pine, bamboo and plum are arranged together
for this occasion and are known as _sho-chiku-bai_. At the base of the
pine in Fig. 3 and lying on fern leaves, is a lobster. On account of
the bent back and long tentacles it typifies a life so prolonged that
the body is bent over and the beard reaches to the waist. A lobster or
crayfish is often seen hanging to the center of the straw rope.
In the background of this picture, a set of bows and arrows used for
indoor practice may be seen leaning against a basket filled with square
rice cakes. In the foreground, a woman is seated before a chopping
board on which she cuts the rice cakes into small pieces. Being small
and hard, these bits are known as “hail mochi.” In some parts of Japan,
it is customary to eat them on the third day of the festival. A
companion who holds up a picture of the Sun Goddess, is seated near
a lantern, on the base of which rests a waterpot. It is likely that
this vessel contains the “young water” (_hatsumizu_) used for the New
Year’s tea (_fuku cha_, “good luck tea”). Custom decrees that this
water must be drawn from the well before the sun’s rays strike it. An
offering of rice is sometimes first thrown into the well. With the tea
is served a preserved plum (_umeboshi_), which, because of its wrinkled
skin, suggests the hope of a good old age. In addition, there is always
served on this festive day a fish stew known as _zoni_, and a special
spiced brand of wine called _toso_. In some households the first day
is devoted entirely to family devotion. Before the ancestral shrine
offerings of tea, mirror dumplings, _zoni_ and _toso_ are placed, and
then each living member is served in order of age with the same viands.
With the same respect for age, New Year’s greetings are spoken first
to the shrine, then to grandparents and parents and so on down to the
smallest child.
As we leave the house and go outdoors, we see before all portals
the “pine of the doorway” (_kado-matsu_)—pine and bamboo saplings
bound together and set up at either side of the entrance. The
pine on the left has a red trunk and is of the species _akamatsu_
(_pinus densiflora_); that on the right has a black trunk and is the
_kuro-matsu_ (_pinus thunbergii_). Fancy has attributed to the lighter
pine, the feminine sex, while the black pine is thought to represent
the masculine. Between these _kadomatsu_ is usually hung the straw rope
previously described. The two plants, the pine and bamboo, have no
religious significance but are emblematic of longevity and fidelity.
Long life and vigor are naturally suggested by the old and gnarled
evergreens; the reason why the bamboo should typify fidelity is less
obvious. It is again a case of a similar pronunciation of two Chinese
characters: _setsu_ meaning fidelity and _setsu_ denoting the node of
the bamboo. A _kado-matsu_ is pictured in the fourth illustration where
in the foreground two boys, bound together with a rope are testing
their strength. This common pastime for boys is called _kubi hiki_. A
third child, acting as umpire, holds in his hand a kite in the shape of
a bird.
The streets during the New Year’s festival are veritable playgrounds;
stilt walking, rope pulling and jumping, top spinning and ball playing
are all indulged in. Kite-flying is perhaps the most conspicuous sport,
for kites of many shapes and sizes are sent up by all lads on these
days. In Japan kite-flying is not only more picturesque than with us,
on account of the use of such fantastic forms as double fans, birds,
butterflies, cuttlefish or huge portraits of heroes in brilliant
colors and unusual proportions, but it is also apt to be a very
exciting sport. Occasionally opponents try to capture an enemy’s kite.
Competitive kite-flying is accomplished by covering the first ten or
twenty feet of the kite string with fish glue or rice paste, and then
dipping it into pounded glass or porcelain. On hardening, this portion
of the string becomes a series of tiny blades which when crossed with
another string at high tension can soon saw away the kite of the
adversary. It is also customary to attach a strip of whale bone or a
bow of bamboo to the large kites, so that on ascending a loud humming
is produced which adds to the excitement of the flight. Only boys and
men fly kites in Japan.
[Illustration: FIG. 3. SAMBO AND MOCHI FOR NEW YEAR
BY I-ITSU GETCHI ROJIN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 4. KADO-MATSU, KITE AND ROPE PULLING.
BY HOKKEI.]
The girls, dressed in their best costumes, are picturesque as they
play with a hand ball and at battledore and shuttlecock. The balls are
made of paper and wadding wound with silk of different colors.
The battle boards are of a white wood called _kiri_ and are often
elaborate affairs, adorned on one side with the portrait of a hero
made of colored silks. The shuttlecock is composed of the seed of the
soapberry, to which bright feathers are attached. On a _surimono_ in
this exhibition two girls are at play upon a red mat spread beneath the
blossoming plum tree. To one of the branches is clinging a nightingale,
the bird which heralds the approach of spring. All of the poems on
this _surimono_ treat of the New Year and the nightingale’s song. One,
literally translated, reads, “Spring’s first wind melting the snow,
let laugh the plum, let cry the nightingale.” Another rendered in
English is as follows: “Like the comical manner of a bouncing ball, the
nightingale’s song rolls (like a ball) on the plum branch.”
Young maidens carrying flat bamboo baskets make excursions into the
country to gather the seven spring grasses (_nanakusa_). These greens,
the water drop-wort, shepherd’s purse, radish, celery, dead-nettle,
turnip and rock-cress, are the components which are needed for the
celebration of the first of the five festivals known as _Go-sekku_.
This one occurs on the seventh day of the first month.
While the young people enjoy these pastimes out of doors, within the
house the older members of the family indulge in the writing of a
New Year’s poem or in playing one of the games described in the next
section of this leaflet. The writing of poems at this auspicious time
is almost universal, indeed, the composing of poetry and the mastery
of caligraphy are considered as necessary accomplishments for the
cultured person. The most common form of New Year’s poem is that known
as _tanka_. It is a poem of five lines, the first and third of which
contain five syllables, the other three seven, and is the poem
almost always found on _surimono_. Poems are often inscribed on fans as
in Fig. 5, where one young woman meditates over the verse which she has
written on a fan. A companion seated at a writing table, is grinding
ink with one hand and holding with the other a poem paper (_tanzaku_).
Such long strips are to be seen in many houses awaiting the New Year’s
inspiration. They are sometimes tinted to a soft shade or ornamented
with appropriate New Year’s flowers or with silver clouds as in
this case. One of the poems accompanying this _surimono_ is worthy
of translation: “From the window, lighting the brush for the first
writing, the plums’ fragrance on the wind is blowing.”
On the first day of the year, musicians and dancers proceed from house
to house. The musician, wearing a flat straw hat which partially covers
her face, charms away birds of ill omen with a few strains played on
the samisen. The dancers are either those known as _manzai_ or are
those who enact the lion dance, a performance adopted from China.
(Costumes used in the lion dance of China may be seen in Case 5, Hall
I, ground floor.) With the majority of families much of the day is
spent in paying visits to friends, at which times it is customary to
present small gifts, usually of trifling value such as conserves,
fruit, fish, persimmons, herring roe, bean-curd, towels and similar
articles. Presents are either placed on trays in ceremonial form or
carefully wrapped in paper or silk and tied with red and white cords.
Accompanying every gift there is always a quiver-shaped envelope of
folded paper called _noshi_, in which is inserted a strip of dried
_haliotis_ or _awabi_. This odd custom, like so many others, has an
interesting significance. The strip of _haliotis_ is symbolic of long
life and durability of affection, because it is capable of being
stretched to great length. The single shell of this mollusk also
suggests singleness of affection. In the ancient days when Japan was
a nation of fishermen, a piece of dried _awabi_ was indeed a valuable
gift. In the present use of the _noshi_ and _awabi_, some say that the
Japanese would recall the primitive days, thereby preserving the virtue
of humility. Another conspicuous object which is usually in evidence
at New Year’s is the small treasure boat (_takarabune_) sometimes made
of straw and symbolizing the coming of the “Seven Gods of Good Luck”
_Shichifukujin_. Pictures of _takarabune_ are placed beneath the pillow
with the wish that the New Year’s dream may be a fortunate one.
No work is done on the first day of the festival, even the sweeping
of the house is omitted, lest some good fortune be scattered to the
winds. All stores are closed to regular business. On the second day a
pretense is made toward returning to normal life. The musician takes
out his instrument, the student looks into his books, the artist gets
out his brushes and the merchant distributes his goods from gaily
colored handcarts. The storehouse of treasures is opened and enjoyed
on this day as well, rarely on the first day for fear good fortune
and wealth should flee away. The large mirror dumplings are taken
from the ceremonial stands and from before the family shrine on the
fourth day, and cut into small pieces known as “teeth-strengtheners.”
On this day also, the fire brigades of Tōkyō march in procession and
perform gymnastic feats. At early dawn on the seventh day the master
of the house, who follows the old customs closely, arises and goes to
the kitchen where he washes the seven spring herbs (_nanakusa_) in
the first water drawn from the well. He then chops them on a board,
moving his knife in time with a certain incantation concerned
with cheating any birds of ill omen which might come to the country.
The chopped herbs are boiled in a kind of rice gruel and served with
ceremony at the breakfast. On the eleventh day the military men used
to offer mirror dumplings before their armor. The long celebration of
the festival is finally brought to a close with the burning of the
_kado-matsu_ and other decorations on the fourteenth or fifteenth day
of the first month.
GAMES AND PASTIMES
Several of the most popular games of Japan are represented on
_surimono_ and only those games will be mentioned herein. To those who
would study the subject exhaustively, S. Culin’s “Corean Games” is
recommended. With the possible exception of chess (shogi), no game is
more widely played than _go_, which has been erroneously identified
with the game _gobang_, somewhat similar to our game of checkers. _Go_,
a far more difficult contest than that European game, was introduced
into Japan from China in the eighth century. For generations it has
occupied the attention of the Japanese, there being clubs and schools
devoted to the playing of _go_. It is played on a square, raised wooden
board on which nineteen straight lines drawn from one side to the other
of the board cross nineteen other lines drawn at right angles, making
three hundred and sixty-one crosses on which the men are placed. One
hundred and eighty white, and one hundred and eighty-one black stones,
are used in the playing. These represent respectively day and night;
the crosses represent three hundred and sixty degrees of latitude and
the central intersection stands for the primordial principle of the
universe. The object of the game is to capture the opponent’s pawns by
enclosing at least three crosses around his stone, and to cover as
much of the table as possible. Military men have always been devotees
to the game of _go_, seeing in it the rudimentary tactics necessary for
successful warfare.
[Illustration: FIG. 5. THREE GIRLS WRITING NEW YEAR’S POEMS.
BY KATSUCHIKA HOKUSAI.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6. GAME OF JUROKU MUSASHI.
BY HOKUSAI SORI.]
_Juroku musashi_ (“sixteen knights”) is a favorite New Year’s game
which is illustrated in Fig. 6. It is played on a board divided into
diagonally-cut squares. One player holds sixteen round paper pawns
representing sixteen knights; the opponent has but one large piece
known as the general (_taisho_) which has the power to capture enemy
pieces when they are immediately on each side of it with a blank space
beyond. The holder of the smaller pieces seeks to completely hedge in
and thereby capture the big piece.
_Sugoroku_ (“double sixes”) is similar to the European “race-game.” It
is played with dice and the succeeding spaces on the board generally
represent the stations of a journey. Brinkley, in his Japan and China
(Vol. VI, p. 56), tells us that this game was imported from India
in the eighth century and was at first prohibited on account of its
gambling character. Eventually the Buddhist priests took it up and
converted it into an instrument for inculcating virtue by making the
spaces on the board represent a ladder of moral precepts which marked
the path to victory. _Sugoroku_, with the travel board, is commonly
played by children at New Year’s time. The name is also given to the
more difficult game of backgammon which may be studied in one of the
_surimono_ in this museum. The board on which the game is being played
is now obsolete. It is divided longitudinally into two fields with an
intervening space between. Each field has twelve narrow subdivisions in
which the men are placed.
Games of cards (_karuta_ from the Spanish _carta_) are altogether
different from the European card games, though it is commonly
supposed, on account of the derivation of this name, that card playing
was introduced in the sixteenth century by Portuguese travelers. It
is interesting to note here that card playing was known in China in
the twelfth century. It would seem that Japan must have made her
first contact with the game through a source other than Spain, for
the majority of the forms and methods of her playing cards in no way
reflect European influence. The fact that cards are quite often called
_fuda_ (“ticket”) would also add in casting doubt on the European
origin. The _hana-garuta_ or “flower cards” which are widely played are
small in size, black on the backs and adorned on the face with flowers
and emblems belonging to the twelve months. A set comprises forty-eight
cards and the values vary from one to twenty points. The game consists
in drawing, playing and matching in suits or in groups.
In the game of _uta garuta_ (“poem cards”), there are two hundred
cards. One hundred of these are decorated with portraits of poets
and the first two lines of famous classic verses. These are to be
matched with the corresponding hundred on which the remaining lines
of the poems are inscribed. Of the many ways of playing _uta garuta_,
_chirashi_, “spread out,” is the most exciting. The cards bearing the
last part of the poems are laid face up on the floor. Those inscribed
with the first lines are held by the “reader,” who reads them aloud one
by one. The other players strive to pick up the corresponding card and
he who at the last holds the most is declared winner.
Somewhat similar to _uta garuta_ is the game of _kai awase_ (“shell
matching”). Three hundred and sixty bivalve shells are used for this
game. The two sides are separated and on the upper half is painted a
portrait of a poet, on the mated shell are the lines of one of
his poems. Other sets have only the poems inscribed within them, the
two first lines being on one half shell, the remaining lines on the
other. The shells are divided among the players, and as the pictures
or first lines are laid upon the mats, the holder of the corresponding
poem places his shell near it. Some of the old _kai awase_ sets were
of great beauty and were stored in circular lacquer cases of fine
workmanship. This game and the _uta garuta_ naturally were played only
by the cultured classes and were vehicles for the learning of the
classics.
In addition to the kites and battledores, stilts and hand balls, there
are represented in this selection of _surimono_ other toys for children
such as hobby horses, dolls of paper, swinging bats for ball playing,
archery outfits and the amusements afforded by caged singing insects
and trained mice and monkeys. The older people likewise have delightful
pastimes. As the season advances they spend much time in enjoying
nature, the viewing of blossoming trees and plants, the listening to
singing insects in the evening, and the gathering of shells and shell
fish at ebb-tide are all occasions of organized parties in which men
as well as women take keen pleasure. A series of five _surimono_ by
Kuniyoshi realistically portrays the joys of an ebb-tide party.
Most of the musical instruments, which both men and women enjoy
playing, are importations from China, particularly the lyre (_koto_),
the violin (_kokyū_) and the reed organ (_shō_). The samisen, a
three-stringed guitar, is the popular accompaniment of the singing girl
or geisha; the _koto_ is played by the more aristocratic women. Drums
of double conical form (_tsuzumi_) are to be seen in the hands of both
men and women. Flutes have long been popular with men of all classes,
the wandering minstrel, the court musician and even the courtier
himself who delighted to match the softness of his flute tone with the
gentle light of the moon, or with the voice of the harbinger of spring
as evidenced by the poem on Fig. 7 which reads: “Like the nightingale’s
voice above the clouds, hazed over by the mist, the flute contains
sweetness.”
Even more aesthetic than the enjoyment of music are the arts of the
ceremonial tea (_cha no yu_, “hot-water-tea”) and that of flower
arrangement (_ikebana_), both of which up to a short time ago were
thought to be necessary acquirements for the cultivated classes. To
each of these sciences many schools were devoted. Only the barest
sketch can here be given of these subjects to which volumes have been
devoted. The tea ceremony to-day is rigorously outlined by complicated
rules as to utensils, order of procedure and even as to the subjects of
conversation indulged in while in the tea room.
Tea drinking was introduced from China in the ninth century and at
first was practised by the Buddhist priests for medicinal purposes
and especially as a means of keeping awake during meditations. In
the fifteenth century meetings for tea drinking were held in groves
and gardens. In an adjoining tea house pictures were shown on these
occasions which were mainly Buddhistic in subject, and most of them of
Chinese origin. Under the great tea-master Rikyū (sixteenth century)
the rules of _cha no yu_ were rewritten. From this time on the
ceremony was performed in a small house with a low door through which
the few guests would have to prostrate themselves for entrance. The
most characteristic traits of these gatherings were a close sympathy
with nature and a love of simplicity almost amounting to ruggedness
as expressed in the tea bowls often partially glazed. Restraint was
likewise displayed in the decorations of the room, a simple bamboo
flower holder was preferred to the bronze vase, and a hanging picture
(_kakemono_) was chosen which would make an equally quiet appeal, such
as a branch in the wind or an example of fine caligraphy. The occasion
became a time in which to worship purity and refinement.
[Illustration: FIG. 7. NOBLEMAN PLAYING THE FLUTE.
BY GAKUTEI.]
[Illustration: FIG. 8. YOUNG MAN ARRANGING FLOWERS.
ARTIST UNKNOWN.]
Like the tea ceremony, the art of flower arrangement (_ikebana_)
developed into a philosophy under the patronage of the shōgun Yoshimasa
in the fifteenth century. For several centuries it has been studied
and cultivated as a refined accomplishment. Miss Averill in “Japanese
Flower Arrangement” tells us that many of Japan’s most celebrated
generals have been masters of this art, finding that it calmed their
minds and made clear their decisions for the field of action. All of
the schools of _ikebana_, with one exception, are founded on the same
principles. The underlying idea is to reproduce in the arrangement the
effect of growing plants and to preserve for as long a time as possible
the life of the plants. Arrangements aim to reflect the season or the
occasion. When high winds prevail in March, branches with unusual
curves are selected and so placed as to suggest strong breezes. Certain
colors are considered unlucky for certain occasions, for example, red
suggesting flames is inappropriate for house warmings, when white would
be the desirable color in that it suggests water to quench the fire.
An uneven number of flowers are considered lucky and also much more
suggestive of the processes of nature, where there is seldom found
perfect symmetry and actual balance. In the arrangements of the later
schools there are always represented three principles known in the
different groups by diverse names: “Heaven, Man and Earth;” “Earth,
Air and Water;” or “Father, Mother and Child.” The three main sprays
of an arrangement represent in their directions of growth these
three principles, and are designated: “standing, growing, running.”
Subsidiary branches in the selection are called attributes. As may be
seen in Fig. 8, an arrangement is first composed in the hands, care
being taken that all branches be kept close together at the base so
as to form “the parent stalk”. The young man in the picture holds in
his mouth a support for bracing the flowers in the bronze vase, on
the floor are scissors. A woman is approaching with a waterpot. Such
a refined pastime as _ikebana_ is primarily intended to entertain
visitors who may contemplate the finished arrangement as it is set up
in the raised portion (_tokonoma_) of the main room.
Helen C. Gunsaulus
Transcriber’s Notes.
1. Italicized text is indicated with leading and trailing underscores.
2. The author sometimes uses dashes within compound Japanese words
(e.g. kado-matsu “doorway-pine”) to emphasize the separate words.
This has been retained.
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